Jurgen De Wit in Vilvoorde The announcement from union secretary-general De Vir. ville came like a bombshell to the workers at RenaultVilvoorde on 27 February. Only a few hours before the scandalous decision contracts had been promised to twenty or so workers. Now the en• tire plant was to be closed.
Renault had decided to move production to France and Spain and in the process were asking for funds from the European structural fund in order to facilitate the transfer Hey our to keep tie machines in the plant. The same taken to the town hall.
In total 3,100 Jobs are threathad already paid a heary price for rexibisy, win management impos ing a flexible working week of between 27 and 45 hours depend. ing on what was on the order book.
This added to the unbearable pressure on workers to increase productivity. The result at Vilvoorde was that workers were producing 53 cars per person each year - a grim record. Already a large number of workers had been forced out on earty retirement - 500 in An atmosphere of resignation. bitterness and repressed rare orevailed at the meeting of workers hekl the day after the announce. ment. There were messages of solidarity and numerous delegations from many factories - Volkswagen. Caterpillar, Delhaizen, Mercedes and also from France.
Ine unions organised a response - a big assembly on March 2 with the other European factories to co Incide with a special meeting of the successful demonstration took place in Brusseis.
Niter mecong at fam the work ers' massive bus convoy followed the route to Brussels, to meet up with workers from many other branches of industry.
Worker from me nece forges de Clabecq steel mill were present in tie unarcos toreton with delegations from Caterpillar, Volkswagen, Sabena, Nova and. many youth. Around 4.000 people gans of which were opposition to capitalist Europe's creation of unemployment and job insecurity.
After a national car meeting on the March 7, a demonstration was called in Paris for March 14 just before the mobilisation for jobs on the l6th which had been called by beg ums two main union federations.
The leaders of the Flemish fed. eral region have condemned Renaule's decision in nationalst Cones Cans ran acador taken against the excellent Flemish YOU KIS was the declaration of Van den Brande, Prime Minister of Flanders. He demanded a meeting with Louls Schweitzer, chairman of Renault.
Brande went on to emphasise the powerlessness of the politicians in the face of an economic choice even speaking of 'savage capitalism' as to suggest there i such & way was such a thing as social capital. ism'. The unions recognised that there was still widespread support for capitalist economk choice but they still wanted the cancellation of the Renault group's deckion.
Important to their struggle has been the combined support of the eight European unions who organise workers throughout Renaule. This. together with the continuing occupation and a prospective boycott of joined forces to protest at the impact of French goods means that a signifi. cant change is beginning. Internationalism on the march, as car workers and and other trade unionists the bosses' Europe.